I'm participating in an on line class from Peace Learning Circles. In the class on Monday a question I had to answer was, "Describe a room in your house." I chose our library and as I was surprised at how much of me is in that room. I realized I need to break it down here.
One of my favorite rooms is our library. We are a family of readers. Mark and I were English majors. We read books to the boys when they were young. We bought books from Scholastic, and Barnes and Noble and Half Price. The thing is, we don't get rid of the books.
In Kendallville, Mark made book cases and we had them spread through out the house. When we moved to Converse, we found a house that would give us a room to put our books. This is our library.
As you enter the room, to the left is the sewing machine Mark's mom made her wedding dress on. I've made a few baby blankets on it for friends, but now it hold the suit cases my mother took with her on her honeymoon.
Then you'll see a brown faux leather sofa. Flanking the couch is a small chest of drawers painted to look like books, and an old fashioned school desk. The lamps on the end tables have pull chains and yellowed shades that give off a warm glow. The curtains behind the couch are white cotton. The books start just past the windows.
We have shelves lining the walls just past the windows and wrapping around to the back wall and onto the third wall. These books are mainly middle grade fiction and are arranged in alphabetical order by author. Under the first shelves is a bullet case Mark got from his grandparents. This contains old letters and mementos from when Mark and I were dating. On top of this case is an fashioned phone.
In front of the back wall of books are three book shelves -- two back to back, one facing forward. The two that are back to back contain our picture books, while the one facing forward contains my poetry and quote books. On top of these book cases you'll find two antique typewriters and several old cameras. Above them is a wall hanging of a dragonfly. William likes things that are old and was intrigued by typewriters, Matt wants to be a writer, Mark went to school for writing --it just fits. I love taking pictures and old photographs, so the cameras represent that.
In the nook between the bookcases and the third wall, we have another old fashioned school house desk.
The third wall continues the book shelves. followed by our 1907 antique upright piano. It was painted black with flat paint of some kind. On top of the piano we have an old case painted green and opened to hold several old hand held school bells. It also has our anniversary clock, our precious moments cake topper, and some wooden nails to represent the nails our ancestor's barns would have been with.
Next to the piano is an old shoe stand that I've turned on it's side and use to hold ceramic flower pots i've turned into pen and pencil holders. They are green and yellow and red. I love all the colors grouped together. Then I have the desk I bought from the company Francis's brother worked at. I bought it for $50 when I worked in Joliet.
This room is me. I love the way the sunlight warms it in the morning. I love the items we've collected. I love that they are all in one location.
